The present disclosure relates generally to integrated circuit heat dissipation devices, and, in particular, to methods and apparatuses for cold plate stability.
As high performance computers increase in performance, which may be measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) or millions of instructions per second (MIPS), the associated microprocessors within the computers typically increase in both speed and required electrical power. As manufacturers have sought to integrate multiple microprocessors or other components within a single package, such as a multi-chip module (MCM) or other multi-core technologies, the associated number of electrical connections for such packages has grown. In order to reduce package size, many manufacturers have turned from pin grid array (PGA) and ball grid array (BGA) interfaces to land grid array (LGA) interfaces. An LGA interface may use pads instead of pins or balls to connect to a printed wire board (PWB) through a socket or similar interface. LGAs may be preferred over PGAs or BGAs due to larger contact points and higher connection densities, allowing for higher clock frequencies and more power contacts. However, since power consumed is dissipated as heat, LGAs may produce more heat than PGAs and BGAs of comparable size. With the combined challenges of more numerous and powerful microprocessors in a given package, limits of air-cooling may be exceeded as performance demands continue to increase. Moreover, traditional cold plate assemblies may not meet mechanical constraints of modern packages, particularly in a server environment where multiple packages may be installed in a physically confined space.
Since it is desirable for performance and reliability to maintain a module's active metallurgy at a specified temperature, advanced heat transfer structures and methods are needed to maintain both thermal and structural stability.